Student Policy Manual
Parents
1.0 Policy: Power School and Parent/ Guardian Communication
PowerSchool
Parents are encouraged to follow student progress through the Power School system. Student homework, grades, and test scores can be reviewed on-line 24 hours a day through Power School on the internet. Power School assists parents to track students’ progress and stay informed. Once in the platform, Power School also provides a direct link to teacher email. Power School can also be accessed through the school website.
To access your student’s information on the internet, you will need the following information:
- The website location: http://ps.greendot.org/public
- Your Username
- Your Password
Username and password information is distributed to parents during the School Orientation, Back to School Night, and by contacting the main office.
Parent/ Guardian Communication
Green Dot Public School believes that the communication between parents/guardians and the school is integral to the success of a student. Parents can expect that all communication will receive a response within 48 hours or two (2) school days. Parents can opt out of receiving emails, text messages, or phone calls at any time by clicking the appropriate unsubscribe or opt-out link, or contacting the school.
School – Home Communication
Teachers Contacting Parents by Phone
Expect regular phone calls from teachers regarding your child’s progress. If you do not hear from one of your child’s teachers, do not assume your child is doing satisfactory work. The only way to assure your child is on track is to communicate with your child’s teachers by phone, email, or by scheduling an appointment. Teachers may also communicate with parents via ParentSquare, Green Dot’s communication platform. Parents can determine if they prefer to receive messages via text, email or both. Messages can be automatically translated.
Automated Communication System
Staff members and/or parent volunteers call home on a regular basis to inform parents of school events and to discuss specific issues regarding individual students. The school may also use an automated calling or email system to remind parents of schedule changes, holidays, or other important announcements (e.g., student absences or truancy). Please make sure that you provide the office with the phone number and email that is best for receiving such communication. Should you wish to change this contact number or email address during the school year, please provide the office with the change in writing.
School Correspondence
Parents Contacting Teachers
All teachers and staff members have email accounts where they can be easily contacted. From Power School, parents may click on the teacher’s name on your student’s web page to send an email. Parents may also email or message teachers directly through ParentSquare. Parents may also contact teachers by leaving a message with the main office.
Messages and deliveries to students
Students may not use the office telephones except for school business or emergencies approved by the administration. In an effort to limit classroom disturbances, staff will only deliver urgent messages to students during the instructional periods.
Rev. 06/2023
2.0 Policy: Academic Conferences and Parent Notifications
Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences
Green Dot Public Schools commits to good communication between home and school. When a student experiences academic difficulties, or whenever it becomes evident to the teacher that the student is in danger of failing a course, a parent conference (a meeting with parents/guardians and an administrator or team of teachers) is scheduled with the student to identify areas of difficulty and possible strategies for remediation. An action plan that aims to meet the needs of the students will be formulated at that meeting.
In addition, parent conferences scheduled at the completion of the first and third quarters, provide an important opportunity to evaluate each student’s progress (schools will set individual dates). Progress reports from the first and third quarter will be reviewed at conferences and parents will be provided with academic updates.
Middle School and High School
Progress Reports
Progress reports will be mailed home at the end of the first and third quarter. Progress reports are not final and indicate a student’s performance to-date in the semester.
Report Cards
Report cards will be issued at the conclusion of each semester. Report cards will be mailed home and include final grades that will be reflected on a student’s high school transcript.
Right to Ask for Teacher Qualifications
All parents may request information regarding the professional qualifications of classroom teachers and/or paraprofessionals.
School Accountability Report Card
A hard copy of the School Accountability Report Card (SARC) will be made available upon request at the school site. It is posted annually on the school website.
Elementary School
Grading and Reporting Student Progress
Teachers at Extera will formally report student progress toward mastery of grade level standards to parents three times each year using report cards at the end of each trimester and three times per year via progress reports at mid-points during the trimester. Student achievement will be evaluated against academic standards and the school’s stated outcomes and will reflect student progress on a continuum toward mastery of the concepts and skills at each grade level. Teachers will conduct student-led conferences at the time report cards are issued so that parents have regular opportunities to discuss their child’s academic progress, work habits, and social skills personally with his or her teachers. During student-led report card conferences, students take ownership of their learning experience, sitting at a table or moving around the room with parents or guardians and teachers. Students generally share their body of work through portfolios and work samples. Multi-language learners are encouraged to share their progress aligned to their differentiated ELD programming. It is strongly recommended that all parents or guardians attend student-led conferences upon each reporting period. Parent or legal guardian attendance for student-led conferences will be noted by signature for all three reporting periods.
Student progress in all subject matter content areas will be reported to parents during each reporting period, and copies of each student’s report cards will be maintained in the main office of each Extera campus. In addition to providing scaled scores using the evaluation continuum, teachers will include short narrative descriptions to indicate completeness and quality of work, level of understanding, attitudes and behaviors at school, and other relevant information about the student’s growth in performance during the reporting period. A record of attendance and tardies will also be included.
Informal progress reports will also be issued periodically throughout the school year to track student progress prior to issuing report cards at the end of each term. Parent conferences may be held at the request of teachers and/or families to address behavioral and academic concerns. Students who continue to struggle academically or behaviorally after the progress report conference will be referred to the site administrator for an SSPT conference to formalize an intervention plan.
Rev. 06/2023
3.0 Policy: Parent/Guardian Volunteer Hours
Green Dot recommends that parents/guardians volunteer at their child’s school each school year.
For parents/guardians of students on multiple campuses, Green Dot recommends that volunteer hours be balanced between the campuses.
Hours may be set up with the school office or completed in one or more of many volunteering opportunities such as:
- office support;
- school and special events (e.g., Back-to-School Night, Open House);
- fundraising activities;
- breakfast and lunch distribution;
- field-trip assistance and supervision;
- arrival and dismissal supervision; and/or
- leadership activities such as serving as the parent representative for the School Advisory Council or participating in other school committees.
Other possible volunteer activities that can support your child academically include:
- classroom visits;
- classroom support;
- tutoring support; and/or
- serving as a mentor.
Green Dot Public Schools appreciates your participation as a parent volunteer and will make every attempt to match your interests and skills with projects or tasks with which you are comfortable.
Students will not be prohibited from initial or continued enrollment, or from participating in any educational activity, as a result of failing to satisfy the recommended volunteer hours.
Rev. 06/2024
4.0 Policy: Student Privacy and Parent/ Guardian Volunteer Confidentiality
Green Dot Public Schools expects all parent volunteers who learn information about Green Dot students while volunteering for Green Dot to keep this student information confidential. The U.S. Congress has addressed the privacy-related concerns of educators, parents/guardians, and students by enacting the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (known more commonly as “FERPA” or the “Buckley Amendment”). Among other provisions, FERPA allows the government to withdraw federal funds from any educational institution which reveals a student’s personal information, including education and/or personal records, without their parent/guardian’s specific written consent.
Green Dot Public Schools’ parent volunteers must refer all questions about a student’s personal information, including grades, contact information, parent/guardian’s contact information and student progress, to authorized school employees. Volunteers may not share information about a student even with members of their own family or the student’s family.
Rev. 06/2025
5.0 Policy: Parent / Guardian Volunteer Background Checks and Tuberculosis (TB) Clearances
Before beginning any volunteer services at the school, all volunteers must complete the volunteer onboarding process, which includes completing the Green Dot Volunteer application available in Workday through Human Resources. The criminal background check and TB clearance portions of the onboarding process are described below.
Background Checks
One of Green Dot’s foremost values is the safety of students and staff. In accordance with California law and in keeping with such values, all parent volunteers and visitor volunteers who interact with students, outside of the immediate supervision and control of the student’s parent or guardian or a school employee, must be fingerprinted for a criminal background check completed through and provided by the appropriate state agency(ies) and/or the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The cost of the procedure may be borne by the volunteer.
Conditions that preclude volunteering at Green Dot include, but are not limited to, conviction of any controlled substance offense, conviction of a sex offense, or conviction of a serious or violent felony. If a volunteer who works in close proximity with students is found at a Green Dot school location without a criminal background clearance, they will be sent home and prohibited from continuing volunteering with Green Dot until such clearance is obtained. Additionally, should a volunteer be convicted of a controlled substance offense, sex offense, or serious or violent felony during their volunteer period with Green Dot, the volunteer must immediately report such a conviction to their immediate supervisor.
Tuberculosis (TB) Clearance
Volunteers are required to have on file a certificate showing the volunteer submitted a Tuberculosis (TB) risk assessment and, if TB risk factors were identified, the volunteer was examined and found to be free of TB infections, if the volunteer’s functions require or include frequent or prolonged contact with students. If no risk factors were identified, an examination is not required. The cost of the risk assessment may be borne by the volunteer. If a volunteer whose functions require or include frequent or prolonged contact with students is found at a Green Dot location without a TB risk assessment, they will be sent home and prohibited from continuing volunteering with Green Dot until such clearance is obtained.
Documentation of volunteer compliance with TB risk assessment/exams will be kept on file with Green Dot’s Human Resources Department or other appropriate designated office/department. Any entity providing student services that require or include frequent or prolonged contact with students will be contractually required to ensure that all contract workers have had TB testing that shows them to be free of active TB prior to conducting work with Green Dot students.
Rev. 06/2023
6.0 Policy: Conflict Resolution – Parents/ Guardians
The Principal is responsible for making decisions that are in the best interest of the school. Occasionally, a parent or guardian may make a request and/or have an issue or grievance that they believe is not being addressed consistent with the philosophy of the school, its policies and procedures. If this occurs, it is the responsibility of both parties to address the concerns or issues in a constructive dialogue. The grievance process has a maximum of three steps, but resolution may be reached at any step in the process identified.
Step One
The parent/guardian presents the issue to staff members with whom they have the conflict. The staff member should address the grievance, attempt to resolve it, and give the parent/guardian a decision within a reasonable amount of time (ten school days).
Step Two
If the response given by the staff member seems unreasonable to the parent/guardian, they should then request a meeting with the Principal. Following a review of the request and an investigation of the issue, a meeting will be scheduled with involved parties. After considering the contents of the complaint, information collected during the investigation, and information clarified during the meeting, a decision will be communicated in writing to all involved parties.
Step Three
If the response given by the Principal seems unreasonable to the parent/guardian, they should then request a meeting with the Green Dot Area Superintendent overseeing the school. Following a review of the request and an investigation of the issue, a meeting will be scheduled with involved parties. After considering the contents of the appeal letter, information collected during the investigation, and information clarified during the meeting, a decision will be communicated in writing to all involved parties. If the complaint is about the Principal, the complainant may file his or her complaint in a signed writing to Green Dot’s Chief Education Officer (angonzalez@greendot.org or 323-565-1600) or designee, who may conduct a fact-finding or authorize a third party investigator on behalf of Green Dot. The Chief Education Officer or designee, or investigator, will report his or her findings to Green Dot for review and action, if necessary.
See Section C. 16.0 of the Student Policy Manual for information about issues or concerns be addressed through the Uniform Complaint Procedure.
Rev. 06/2026